Denver RTD seeking proposals to complete remaining phases of Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project
The Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) is seeking proposals from qualified design-build teams to complete the remaining phases of its Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project. Information about the Request for Proposals (RFP) solicitation is currently available through the agency’s online procurement portal. Proposals are due in February 2025 and the agency anticipates selecting a contractor in April 2025.
The first phase of the Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project began in May 2024 and focused on 30-year-old infrastructure at five key intersections in the Downtown Loop. The full-depth reconstruction process involved removing existing rail, concrete, crossties and ballast before rebuilding the embedded track along Denver RTD’s inaugural light rail line. The first phase was completed ahead of schedule in September.
“Maintaining all of [Denver] RTD’s assets and infrastructure is essential to preserving the region’s previous investments in its mass transit system,” said Denver RTD General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson. “Managing and maintaining assets in a state of good repair ensures the long-term integrity of the rail network for all individuals who entrust [Denver] RTD to connect them with their destinations.”
To complete the remaining reconstruction work, Denver RTD will use a progressive design-build project delivery approach, which is a project delivery method that combines the benefits of early contractor involvement with the design-build model. The agency notes it's a two-phase process that involves the owner and the design-build team working together to develop a final design, schedule and budget and will accelerate the project schedule and minimize the overall impacts to customers and the community.
According to Denver RTD, the RFP process will result in a single contract being awarded for both a project designer and construction contractor. After successfully completing a validation of the existing information, the contractor will then have an opportunity to negotiate the cost for the project’s final design and construction.
The subsequent three phases of the project will begin in 2025 and work on each phase may simultaneously occur:
- Phase two: Midblock Reconstruction in Downtown Loop
- Phase three: Colfax Avenue Alignment Reconstruction
- Phase four: Welton Street Corridor
Denver RTD notes that similar to phase one, all D and H line trains will be rerouted to Denver Union Station during the reconstruction work and L Line service, which connects 30th•Downing Station to the Downtown Loop, will be temporarily suspended. No light-rail service will operate in the agency’s central corridor until the reconstruction project has been fully completed.
